After Brian watched his grandmother suffer with pneumonia, he began researching methodologies for diagnosing the disease [pneumonia] and its treatments. During his research, he discovered that the illness affects far more children than it does in adults.
Reports according to UNICEF show that, pneumonia kills half a million children under five in sub-Saharan Africa every year, with the region accounting for half of all global deaths from pneumonia of children under five.
\u201cMany of those deaths are because of misdiagnosis,\u201d says Brian.
\u201cIn the villages and remote areas, children get sick \u2013 and the first reaction is to treat them for malaria. Most people are aware of malaria, and the signs for malaria and pneumonia are very similar, so it is difficult for health professionals to differentiate,\u201d he adds.
Even when a correct diagnosis is made, treatment is often unavailable. According to the Uganda Paediatrics Association (UPA), fewer than 20% of children with pneumonia receive antibiotics, which cost less than a dollar.
So Brian began designing a biomedical smart jacket; he named \u201c Mamaope \u201c, or \u201cMother\u2019s Hope\u201d \u2013 a reference to the 27,000 children who die of pneumonia in Uganda every year , that would distinguish pneumonia\u2019s symptoms \u2013 temperature, breathing rate and sound of the lungs \u2013 and eliminate most human error, diagnosing pneumonia at a rate three to four times faster than a doctor.
\u201cWe focused on the distinguishing signs of pneumonia,\u201d says Brian. \u201cOne of the processes that most doctors use is a stethoscope to the check the lungs. But [pneumonia] tends to be on side points around the body, not just in the chest or back. Its accuracy of being able to diagnose what is healthy, and what is not, is very encouraging.\u201d
Currently a prototype of the Mamaope jacket will undergo an official national medical examination within this month. Certification for use in health centers and hospitals is expected by spring.
The jacket could be a major boon to diagnosing, treating and preventing pneumonia in sub-Saharan Africa.
\u201cAlthough sub-Saharan Africa accounts for half of pneumonia deaths among children under five worldwide, funding for pneumonia prevention, management and treatment in the region remains low,\u201d according to Mark Young , senior health specialist for UNICEF.
The Mamaope Jacket was shortlisted for this year\u2019s \u00a325,000 Africa prize for engineering innovation .
source: The Guardian and UNICEF<\/p>\n